Crossword Clue: Sea of the Great Barrier Reef
Here's the answer to the Sea of the Great Barrier Reef crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: CORAL
The answer to "Sea of the Great Barrier Reef" is CORAL. Coral is a 5-letter word made up of 2 vowels and 3 consonants, beginning with C and ending with L. In a crossword grid it occupies a 5-square slot, and each of its letters also forms part of a word crossing it — so even if the clue stumps you, the crossing entries will usually hand you enough letters to fill it in.
Origin & meaning
The Coral Sea lies off Australia's northeast coast and hosts the Great Barrier Reef. A pivotal 1942 naval battle between the US and Japan was fought here.
Common usage
Coral turns up frequently in crosswords precisely because of that letter mix. Short, vowel-friendly words like CORAL are a constructor's best friend: they interlock cleanly with longer entries and help a grid come together without awkward letter clashes. When you see a 5-letter slot and already have a crossing letter or two, CORAL is often quick to confirm — especially once the C or L is in place.
Crossword trivia
Because it is only 5 letters long, CORAL appears far more often in daily mini and themed puzzles than longer, more obscure words. Regular solvers come to recognize it on sight, and it is exactly the kind of entry worth committing to memory: the more common short words you know cold, the faster your solve times become.
Stuck on this clue?
If "Sea of the Great Barrier Reef" has you stuck, don't force it — jump to the clues crossing this slot instead. Filling in even one or two intersecting letters usually makes CORAL obvious. That crossing-first approach is the single most useful habit for improving at crosswords, and it works on everything from the quick daily Mini to a full Sunday grid.
This clue in different puzzles
The clue "Sea of the Great Barrier Reef" is just one way to arrive at CORAL. Across different puzzles and editors you may see the same answer clued as "Pinkish-orange reef color". Recognizing that a single answer can wear many clues is one of the fastest ways to level up as a solver.
Example sentences
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing CORAL into the grid took no time at all."
- "Coral is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Sea of the Great Barrier Reef' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in CORAL almost immediately."
- "Once the C was confirmed by the crossing word, CORAL was the only entry that fit."